Friday, July 29, 2011

Yes.. the G+ Beast has engaged me in a dance and caused me to grapple with the ramifications. So my apologies for the break in posting. Here are a potpourri of photos that I've posted there, as I head back again into the breach to wrestle and adapt to expression and life, feelings of intimidation and fear, growth and wonder. :D

Thank you my friends for your support and encouragement through it all :)The Maplemusketeer

When I saw (the photo above) I was just overwhelmed with how many stories and paths joined... there in the water a feather lodged in an oak leaf to create this new entity that existed in this new environment for them both. And while each item may have been unnoticed as a part of their greater origin here they were together, the stars of their own moment.
Perspective of a LandDweller

If any other person were to take a moment to slip into our brain (ala Being John Malkovich) and see our blessings and wonders, our struggles and trials, what would they think? Would they see the great things, the gifts, the opportunities and positive relationships that empower? Can we bring that awareness into our own lives? I think it's worth trying ;)

Bull kelp and other seaweed clumped and washed ashore at Long Beach, BC, Canada.
Some could interpret this as the end of the road for the seaweed. As if it were garbage, detritus, castoff, waste. I would suggest that if they looked deeper they would see an invaluable source of nutrients to the intertidal zone. A source of potential and growth for all that lines the seashore.. beauty.
Every new day starts in the dark

Friday, July 22, 2011

For the 3 years I lived in Victoria I stayed in an apartment a block and a half away from Beacon Hill Park and it's likely what helped me keep my sanity as I ground my way through a very intense 27.5 month college program that was 7 terms with no real breaks between terms.

The 200 acre park goes from practically downtown down to the shore of the Salish Sea across which one can see Washington State and the Olympic Mountain Range.

Beacon Hill Park is many things to many people. There are areas left wild and areas groomed and planted with plants from the width and breadth of the old British Empire. There are paths to walk, chip trails to run, soccer fields and cricket pitches. And plenty of benches.

Friday, July 15, 2011

I was talking with a fellow creative fellow about life, creative comparisons to other's whose work we highly respect and think looks so amazing, and the occasional feeling of one's work "not being good enough". Heady stuff for a Friday morning. But I am drinking mate so I suppose pondering was bound to happen ;)

Then, as is often the case in my Maplemusketeer world, I felt inspired to find and share a song for Friday. To seek out something to share and find my own answer as well. So I pondered and scanned some youtube. Cleared my mind, drank some tea, and opened myself to the ether. And found some Wilburys. ;) Fairly apt.

Here's a Friday song :) And a thought. Enjoy the journey and acknowledge the process. It's ok :) and really the way things work so might as well not fight it ;)

How much work/life/practice went into this song coming about?
The sum of their lives thus far.

The chair with Roy Orbison's guitar rocking and representing him as he'd sung the vocals but passed away before the video was recorded. His last song. The end of the line for him. But he lives on. He also chased his dreams despite hard times and limited success. What a way to go out. We'll remember Roy.

George Harrison. Goodness. Gone now.

The other's still going on to the end of the line. Rocking and living.

There is a damn fine goodness deep in all of that. So hey.. have a great Friday and live a wonderfilled life :D

I look forward to sharing tea and rocking out a boxcar with all of you one day :D

Thursday, July 14, 2011

I ambled a few driveways down to see what my step-dad was up to. Mi Madre and he had just gotten in from the ocean where they'd taken the boat out to check the crab traps.

I walked across town to look out at the sea.

Sechelt is on an isthmus. An isthmus being a piece of land that connects an island to the mainland forming a peninsula, in this case the Sechelt Peninsula. So it doesn't take that long to walk across town.

As the glaciers from the last ice age came through they deposited large amounts of gravel on the hill above where the town now exists. Hence the large gravel pit seen from space on the map. There is a large conveyor built to load the gravel onto barges to be shipped to places as far away as California.

If you don't want to look at the conveyor you can just look a bit more to the right.

Walk further west along the path and you'll pass a bench. I hardly ever see anyone sit there. Maybe they're paranoid that people who pass behind them would make faces behind their backs. Who would do such a thing?

It's a neat little Canadian coastal town.

And even though it's summer here on the Sunshine Coast we've been getting a bit more rain than usual, but I don't really mind as we do live in a rainforest. It tends to rain in them. Makes tall trees.

There have been challenges returning to my old hometown to live with Grandpa. It has been a growing time and a stretching time. And I don't regret the decision at all. Though at times it is tough and I miss my friends. Then I go for another walk.

July 1st is Canada Day here in Canada. There are parades and festivities. The usual national huzzah that most nations partake of to foster nationalism. It's enjoyed by many people. But not really my thing. Case in point. I had some friends visiting from out of town so I went to the parade. There were many floats. Lots going on. But I talked with my friends and played a bit with their kids. We made up humourous play-by-play commentary as the parade went by. And I only took one photo. That likely says something about my values and priorities. Here it is.

another day, another walk. To the sea to dream.

To juggle the desire for distant shores with being present to where I am right now.

For there is much goodness possible wherever we choose to be

Go well my friends and thank you for your kindness, support, and encouragement

I spent the past two+ years as a digital nomad travelling around Canada, with a few forays into the US, and a multi-month trip to Europe.

I have a passion for finding better ways to do life in relation to the technology and systems developing around us, and empowering people to realize their unique abilities while crafting a lifestyle and legacy that they can be proud of.

I also drink a lot of yerba mate and have the absolute most amazing girlfriend ever!